11/28/2024
Thank You All! Happy Holidays!
Over the years, I've accumulated many interesting stories, and today I’d like to share one of them. This is a case with a positive outcome that still makes me smile.
Recently, as the weather turned colder, some clients reached out to me, asking for a roof inspection. The condition of the roof turned out to be dire—essentially, "the patient was more dead than alive." Upon learning this, the homeowners decided to file an insurance claim (it was a duplex, with each side having its insurance policy).
Usually, if a roof is over 15 years old, proving hail damage can be challenging unless the hail is the size of golf balls or larger. Moreover, insurance companies often refuse to cover replacement for such roofs—but that’s a story for another time. In this case, there was nothing to lose, and an adjuster meeting was scheduled.
Here’s where a fortunate series of circumstances came into play:
1. The first inspection was handled by an insurance company known for its lenient approach.
2. The roof’s condition was truly terrible—granules were falling off, and the roof’s height (a story and a half) made climbing it dangerous.
3. That morning, a light rain had fallen, leaving the roof damp.
The inspector examined the house from below but chose not to climb up. They asked for photos to be sent once the roof dried. Within three hours, I had prepared a report confirming the need for a replacement.
The next day, a meeting took place with representatives from another insurance company, known for being much stricter in their decisions. Typically, such companies are reluctant to make concessions. However, seeing that half of the roof was already approved for replacement and a check had been issued, they reluctantly agreed to cover the other half.
Unfortunately, such lucky cases are rare. More often, insurance companies find ways to deny coverage: they don’t pay depreciation, deductibles exceed the repair cost, or they come up with other reasons to refuse claims.